In biochemistry, the Luebering–Rapoport pathway (also called the Luebering–Rapoport shunt) is a

metabolic pathway In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a linked series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell (biology), cell. The reactants, products, and Metabolic intermediate, intermediates of an enzymatic reaction are known as metabolites, which are ...

in mature

erythrocytes Red blood cells (RBCs), referred to as erythrocytes (, with -''cyte'' translated as 'cell' in modern usage) in academia and medical publishing, also known as red cells, erythroid cells, and rarely haematids, are the most common type of blood cel ...

involving the formation of

2,3-bisphosphoglycerate 2,3-Bisphosphoglyceric acid (conjugate base 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate) (2,3-BPG), also known as 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (conjugate base 2,3-diphosphoglycerate) (2,3-DPG), is a three-carbon isomer of the glycolytic intermediate 1,3-bisphosphoglyc ...

(2,3-BPG), which regulates

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

release from

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin, Hb or Hgb) is a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells. Almost all vertebrates contain hemoglobin, with the sole exception of the fish family Channichthyidae. Hemoglobin ...

and delivery to tissues. 2,3-BPG, the reaction product of the Luebering–Rapoport pathway was first described and isolated in 1925 by the Austrian biochemist Samuel Mitja Rapoport and his technical assistant Jane Luebering.R. Juel: ''2,3-Diphosphoglycerate: its role in health and disease.'' In: ''CRC Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences.'' 10(2)/1979. CRC Press, S. 113–146, : Through the Luebering–Rapoport pathway

bisphosphoglycerate mutase Bisphosphoglycerate mutase (, BPGM) is an enzyme expressed in erythrocytes and placental cells. It is responsible for the catalytic synthesis of 2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-BPG) from 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate. BPGM has both a mutase and a ph ...

catalyzes the transfer of a phosphoryl group from C1 to C2 of 1,3-BPG, giving 2,3-BPG. 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate, the most concentrated

organophosphate In organic chemistry, organophosphates (also known as phosphate esters, or OPEs) are a class of organophosphorus compounds with the general structure , a central phosphate molecule with alkyl or aromatic substituents. They can be considered ...

in the erythrocyte, forms 3-PG by the action of bisphosphoglycerate phosphatase. The concentration of 2,3-BPG varies proportionately with the pH, since it is inhibitory to catalytic action of

. Under physiological conditions, the flux through the Rapoport-Luebering shunt is 19% of the main glycolytic flux.

References

External links

UniProt: Bisphosphoglycerate mutase - Homo sapiens (Human)
UniProt-Information about bisphosphoglycerate mutase
A live model of the effect of changing 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate on the oxyhaemoglobin saturation curve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luebering-Rapoport pathway Biochemical reactions Metabolic pathways Organophosphates Physiology Respiratory physiology